There are technical fields in which electrical signals or data arising at a specific location must be passed on to different receiving locations. As an example, in a motor vehicle, the signal indicating actuation of the vehicle brake is required at several locations, e.g. for the braking lights, the braking light failure indication located on the instrument panel, the anti-lock control system and the engine thrust deactivation. When a cable is provided between each of these signal sources and the associated signal consumers, quite a high cabling expenditure will often result. There are not only disadvantages in terms of costs and weight caused thereby, but it is also difficult to accommodate a corresponding number of cables in the narrow spaces available for the placement of cables. For this reason bus or data lines are often used through which electronics modules can be interconnected and data can be transmitted and controlled.
In order to provide the interconnection required, the data lines have several branching locations which are used as signal lead-in or signal lead-out locations. Accordingly, electrical connectors are used at the branching locations.